Top court rules homophobic terms commonly used in Mexico are libelous

MEXICO CITY – Mexico's Supreme Court has ruled that two homophobic words commonly used in Mexico to humiliate gay men are not protected as freedom of expression under the constitution, allowing those offended by them to sue for moral damages.

The magistrates voted 3-2 late Wednesday in favor of a journalist from the central city of Puebla who in 2010 sued a reporter at a different newspaper who had written a column referring to him and others at the newspaper by the terms.

The court ruling says that "even though they are deeply rooted expressions in Mexican society, the fact is that practices of the majority of society can't validate the violations of basic right."